Nothing Lasts Forever
by Angel's Blessing
Summary: Being a 20 year old witch living in New Orleans is never easy, especially for Liam Huntsman. He was sure his young life was coming to a proverbial end at the hands of tyrant Marcel Gerard after he was caught using magic, which was forbidden while in his rule. His fate was miraculously spared, courtesy of a familiar suit-clad Original. [Elijah/OC] -SLASH-
1. Salvation

"My life is hell, I'm telling you," Liam complained to his friend Ramona while he and she were cleaning up.

"Liam, you've been saying that for months, and yet, you're still here," she said, as she cleaned glass pitchers.

He leaned against the counter whilst facing her. "Unfortunately, living alone and working minimum wage isn't all it's cracked up to be. And it pains me to say this…I need this indescribably meager job."

She hummed a giggle. "Hey, look at me. I live alone, and I'm doing fine."

"Not everyone can be as headstrong and optimistic as you, Mona. It's not easy being a 20 year old, magically incapable witch. I have to bow and scrape the old fashioned way."

"Magic doesn't solve all your problems." She set the pitcher away and looked to the bottles next to Liam. "Pass me those, will you?" She was one of few humans in the French Quarter who knew of supernatural creatures, and plus, witches were her favorite; so her getting along with Liam was an easy feat.

He passed her half of the bottles while he took to cleaning the rest. "Coming from a non-supernatural being, I guess I really am in no position to be arguing. But it just sucks. A witch that can't practice magic? That's…ludicrous. It's like we're back in the old Salem Witch Trials. Hiding our talents in fear of being killed: decapitation, burned at the stake, and whatever horrific imagines they improvise."

"And it wasn't so long ago when you said you hated being a witch."

"Now, I didn't _technically_ say I hated being a witch."

She gave him a look that showed her disbelief to which he ignored.

"But the important thing is, I embrace what I am. Why should I have to be oppressed by frigging _vampires_? They make _us_ look like the lesser people."

She pursed her lips and stopped washing the bottles to look at her friend. "Just…don't do anything you might regret, okay, sweetie? I want you to be careful."

He turned to see her concerned look and smiled gratefully. "I always am. No need to worry."

"And _that's_ when I worry the most."

When Liam went to scrubbing the bottle, it slipped from his hands. His failed attempt at catching it sent it careening to the ground with a loud burst.

They both jumped away to avoid getting hit with glass.

"DAMMIT!" Liam hissed as he bent down to carefully pick at the remains. "God, now what am I gonna do?! I'm so dead!"

"Okay, calm down, I'll get a broom and dust pan and clean this up. Sophie will never know one bottle's missing."

He scoffed. "Do you have any idea how nit-picky she is? She's, like, OCD or something. Believe me, she'll know. I'm so fired."

She knelt in front of him, careful of the sharp shards. "Liam, honey, it's only one bottle. I'm sure she'll get over it."

"You won't be on the receiving end of her wrath, so…"

He paused and looked at her with a look that depicted he was thinking the unthinkable.

She met his gaze, and immediately, she shook her head, realizing what he was thinking. "Uh-uh. No, Liam."

"C'mon, Ramona. Just one _little_ one. No one will know!"

She bit her lip in indignation and looked back to make sure no one was looking. When the coast was clear, she looked back at him with a careful expression. "Fine, just…get it over with quick."

He nodded and concentrated on the glass. He closed his eyes and began chanting quietly. "_Phasmatos Nas Ex Ut de Fragmentis Corrigendum_…"

Pieces of the glass began to form together until they took the form of the bottle prior to its breakage, then the cracks slowly began to vanish until nothing remained.

He stopped chanting and opened his eyes, and smiled at his handiwork. He swept the bottle up and presented it proudly. "One mended glass bottle…" He handed the bottle to her, who looked at him worriedly. "Breathe not a word?"

She nodded and took the bottle. "Not even a mumble."

He smiled. "Okay. Let's get back to work."

…

About an hour later, the front door was violently opened.

All commotion ceased and heads snapped in the general direction, and walking in were a quartet of vampires.

Behind them, and taking stand to the front, was Marcel himself. He did not look pleased in the least.

"Good evening, good people of New Orleans," the dark-skinned man boomed. He overlooked everyone's confused faces and his smirk grew. "Oh, you're confused, well, let me make it clear for everyone." He walked into the center of the establishment while his men stood at attention. "A little informant told me that a _witch_ has been casting a teeny spell and thought I wouldn't know about it. And I have been told it took place in this establishment."

Liam, who was at the bar counter gulped inaudibly, and Ramona stiffened at his side.

"You know magic is forbidden in the French Quarter, and punishable by death. I know there are a few witches who work here know this." It was silent for a while, until he spoke again. "Now, which one of you goes by the name of _Liam Huntsman_?"

The color drained from Liam's face when the vampire 'ruler' of New Orleans addressed his name. Who told him his name and he was a witch? He was so careful to not be seen by anyone.

No one spoke and Marcel's smirk grew sinister. "You can drag this out all you want, but you and I both know the end result won't be pretty, Mister Huntsman. If you make yourself known now, I promise you, you're sentence won't be as painful and severe."

Liam stood in his spot, stricken with fear for his life. If he outed himself, he would surely die a slow, painful death. He was _twenty_ for God's sake! He was too young to die!

He wished no more to turn back the hands of time to undo his mistake and not be in this predicament, but what's done is done.

He was faced with two choices. Either drag it out to face imminent death, or come out now and get it over with.

He made up his mind in record time.

Stepping away from the counter, ignoring Ramona's soft cries of protest, Liam had his head held high as he walked to meet the tyrant.

Marcel noticed Liam's approach and looked toward the young man, his cruel smile still on his dark, yet handsome face. "Oh, do you need something, young man? Have something you need to say?"

Liam's pride didn't waver in front of the vampire. "You're looking for Liam Huntsman, right? Well, you have me. I'm the one you want."

Marcel studied the witch, and out of nowhere, he burst out laughing, and he laughed for a good, long while. "I got to hand it to you, kid. I gotta praise your confidence; someone so young, who thought it would be so wise to go against my rules. Either you gotta be brave for having the balls to do it, or just plain stupid, for thinking I wouldn't know about it eventually."

Liam swallowed a lump in his throat as he stared the taller man down—or rather, up as Marcel was taller. There was no way in hell he would be intimidated by a damn _vampire_. "Does it really have to be one or the other?"

One of Marcel's followers laughed at him. "Looks like we got a comedian, boss."

He glared at the one who laughed, the one with dark-skin and bushy brunette/dark hair. "I wasn't being funny."

Before the vampire could retaliate, Marcel intervened, blocking the stare down, as he addressed Liam. "Regardless, you broke a law—"

"It was one little repairing spell. I wasn't doing anyone any harm."

"Kid, I don't care if you were fixing a grand industrial theme park, the fact remains you are in a deep hole I'm afraid you can't dig yourself out of." He shrugged indifferently. "Sorry, it's nothing personal."

He huffed internally and rolled his eyes, looking away from the blood-suckers. "So, now what?"

Marcel grinned sardonically and laid a hand on the dark-haired man's shoulder, making his shudder lightly. "We…are going on a stroll."

…

Bound by cuffs that cut off his access to his magic, Liam was escorted to the French Quarter Square to be served his punishment.

The vampire from before, Diego, hauled the man and made it apparent to be as rough with him as possible before his final moments.

"Easy up on the physicality, dick…" Liam spat, trying not to trip over his own feet as he attempted to keep in step with the man.

"It's a shame you're gonna die soon," Diego said with a dry smirk. "You're fun to mess with."

"You don't exactly spin my wheels, either."

"He's a riot," laughed one of the followers, resulting in a round of others joining in.

A while later, they finally reached the town square and they awaited for Marcel to make his appearance.

Liam stood in place, defiance and blatant boredom in his face as he stared blankly into oblivion. This was it, wasn't it? This was how his life will end? In the face of death with no way to defend himself?

He couldn't believe his young life was leading to this. He never had the chance to explore the things just waiting for him. He'll never get the chance—as cheesy as it will sound—to fall in love and live happily ever after with a special someone.

Liam gulped. "I am so fucked…"

"I could've told you that," Diego quipped beside him.

"Fuck off."

He shrugged in fake sympathy. "Can't. I'm told to keep you under watchful eye."

The witch rolled his eyes. "Wonderful—"

Diego chuckled hoarsely. "I knew I was beginning to grow on you."

"Like a ganglion on an old man's bunion."

Sputtering from the rear echoed throughout the square. Diego whipped around to glare at his comrades, immediately making them stop, though some stifled their laughter.

A gust of wind hit the back of Liam's neck, making the hairs their stand on ends.

"Well," a familiar voice said. Liam stiffed as he turned to face his executioner, Marcel himself. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."

…

Elijah Mikaelson was casually walking along the streets of New Orleans, his homeland, on his way to take care of immediate business.

Then, the sounds of chains and metal rattling spurred his attention. Curious, he followed until he saw figures—he knew immediately that they were vampires—lugging a young man, who looked no older than 19, into the town's square.

Elijah kept out of sight until it was necessary, but listened very closely to what was going on.

The poor, young boy tried to match the speed. "Easy up on the physicality, dick…"

The vampire clutching him chuckled darkly. "It's a shame you're gonna die soon. You're fun to mess with."

Die? What was this vampire's meaning?

He didn't get a chance to ponder that, when the youth spat venomously, "You don't exactly spin my wheels, either."

Elijah had to admit, the boy was rather daring to speak to his captors who could potentially end his life on the spot.

He chanced a peek around the corner and saw that the group ceased moving, having reached their destination. Among the barbarians stood the young man he saw. Now that he got a better view of him, he had to admit, he was quite attractive for a young adult.

Hair was black—ashen; a strong facial structure, still integrating into a man's; thin pink lips; brilliant hazel eyes; and thin stubble growing along his jaw. He had good muscle definition that showed through his gray jacket.

What wrong has this young man committed?

"I am so fucked…" he heard the youth mumble to himself.

Elijah himself could have made that apparent, given his circumstance.

As if reading his thoughts, the vampire closest to the boy retorted, "I could've told you that."

"Fuck off."

_This boy has a sharp tongue_. _Maybe one of few reasons he is in trouble._

"Can't. I'm told to keep you under watchful eye."

Now, Elijah was interested. What did the boy do that was so dastardly that landed him in trouble with these rogue vampires?

"Wonderful—" the man quipped sourly.

The vampire chuckled humorlessly. "I knew I was beginning to grow on you."

Elijah had to roll his eyes at that. Young vampires these days can be so arrogant.

"Like a ganglion on an old man's bunion."

Elijah heard sputtering and snickers, and if he was being honest, it _was_ mildly amusing.

Then, all hilarity ceased when he sensed another's presence. His eyes widened a fraction when he saw who was there…

"Marcel."

…

Liam stared at the man who will, eventually, be his undoing.

Marcel looked directly in Liam's eyes. "Well, _Liam_, this is truly a pity. One so young to have to suffer for something so meager."

_No kidding_.

"Before we get down to business, I want to know a little something. How old are you, Mister Huntsman?"

He gave him a look as if he lost his mind. "What?"

"You're age. If it's too personal, you don't have to answer. Makes no difference to me, really."

He sighed, then grumbled, "Twenty."

"I may be a vampire with heightened senses, but I'm sure I can vouch for everyone here that I didn't quite catch that." Marcel leaned in a little closer. "Mind repeating that a little louder?"

Taking a deep breath to steady himself from feeling humiliated, Liam repeated loudly, "I'm _twenty_."

Marcel grinned none too pleasingly. "Twenty. The big 2-0."

Everyone seemed to find this hilarious and it made Liam flush and lower his gaze to his feet.

"Ah, lighten up. No need to get flustered, little man."

Liam was very annoyed. "Is this really necessary? Can we make this quick? I'd like to meet my doom as quickly as possible."

"Why so eager to end it?"

"Why not? It's not like I have a lot to live for. My life is anything but a golden one. Try having parents who abandon you because of your 'lifestyle', living off of what little you can, and all alone with no one to back you up. Now I'm not saying all this to be pitied or get off the hook—though I find that possibility unlikely—or any of that." He looked back at his feet to avoid looking at the vampires. "I don't expect any of you to understand what it's like to be in my shoes; so do me a solid and just…do whatever you have to. I'm done anyway."

Marcel took a moment to look at the kid in a different angle. He never thought Liam would be so—

No.

He couldn't afford to be weak. This kid broke his rules and he needed to be served punishment. "Well, since you asked, so be it. Liam Huntsman, you've been found guilty for practicing magic when you know it is forbidden to do so. Have anything to say for yourself?"

Liam shook his head somberly.

"Then you're sentence is—"

"Now hold on a moment," interrupted a velvety voice.

All heads—including Liam's—snapped in that direction, and walking their way, was a tall, suit-clad man, and he looked like he meant business.

Marcel seemed to know the man and he smirked at him. "Elijah Mikaelson. To what do I owe your timely audience?"

"Marcellus," this 'Elijah' character spoke tightly. His eyes fell upon Liam and the young man's gaze immediately returned to its original place at his feet. "Do you mind explaining what you are doing to this young man?"

"Oh, so you haven't gotten the memo?" Marcel turned halfway to Liam. "This kid's a witch, and he was practicing magic."

Elijah was confused. Isn't that what witches are supposed to do? And why was this boy being punished for it?

"I'm afraid you'll have to elaborate on this…little trial of affairs, because I certainly do not follow along."

"A lot's changed since you and your family left New Orleans, Elijah. Since no one's left to take up responsibility for the welfare of this city, so I thought I should step up to the plate."

"And what does binding this young man have to do with your 'responsibilities', as you so call it?"

"Well, as luck would have it, by assuming role as high ruler of New Orleans,"—Liam rolled his eyes at the self-proclaimed title—"I've made a few new rules, one of which forbids witches from practicing magic, or face death." Marcel gestured for Elijah to look in Liam's direction. "And I'm sure you can put the pieces together, Elijah."

Elijah looked between Liam and Marcel with a questioning, yet stunned look on his face. This boy was to be put to death for use of his talents? Preposterous!

"Marcel, I believe it would be in your best interest to reconsider—"

"Oh, I'll have to stop you right there, Elijah. I know where this is going. You're gonna preach to me about how all this is wrong and try to talk me out of it." Marcel shook his head. "It's not gonna work, man."

Elijah stormed forward until he was nearer in front of the younger vampire. "Marcel, I implore you to think about what you're doing here." His gaze flickered to Liam's form. "He's just a boy—"

"Who's nearly grown, given another year or two."

His jaw squared. "Marcel—"

"Elijah." Marcel smirked. "I must ask, why do you suddenly care what happens to the witches now? Last I remember, you're not too particularly fond of them."

"I am merely trying to persuade you from committing an act that will take a toll on your conscience." He stared intensely in Marcel's eyes. "Tell me, are you really capable of ending a young youth's life, just to put another notch on your pedestal and appear superior?"

Marcel laughed. "And what do you suppose I do with him? I can't exactly let him off, for that would be escaping deserved punishment. Can't have that now can I?"

"Hey, can I keep him, boss?" asked one of Marcel's minions. "Can't exactly leave a delicious sight like this to go to waste." The vampire made his way toward Liam, but the young man nearly growled at him to back away.

"I may be powerless, but I'm _far_ from helpless. Take another step near me and I'll kick your ass!"

The vamp wolf whistled. "Damn, and he's got fire. You're missing out, kid. We'd have made a great pair."

"I'd prefer cancer!"

"Lay off, Dimitri," Marcel ordered, making 'Dimitri' recede away from the male witch. The vampire tyrant turned his attention back to the Original. "Now, as I was saying—I don't suppose you have an alternative sentence for him, do you?"

Elijah thought for a moment. This young witch was just—well, _young_ and he had a bigger life ahead of him. He wasn't for certain, but it never hurts to be optimistic. He wasn't going to let a savage like Marcel cut that opportunity short just to appease his own egotistical desires.

Then, at that moment, he came with an idea. It may be difficult, what with how completely stubborn the vampire before him was, but he had to try. He would do it to spare another mortal from an unjustified end; it's what any person with a decent soul would do. Because it was the _right_ thing to do.

And if anyone who knows Elijah Mikaelson well enough should know that he would be there to save a person's humanity.

"What if I…take this young one under my supervision?"

Marcel nearly scoffed at the prospect. "You want to keep the witch?"

"Not '_keep_' him. Just to ensure he doesn't stir up a ruckus like this again."

"Now, how can I know for sure that you'll keep him from pulling this stunt in the future, hm?"

"Well, you'll never know if you don't follow through, now will you?" Elijah remarked calmly.

Marcel was silent. On one hand, he didn't really want to do the kid any harm and he was basically a child, just teetering on adulthood, and it was a good excuse to avoid such calamity. One the other, his pride was just clawing at him, wanting to appear the best and the idea of just letting the witch walk away with a pink slip put a damper on his ego.

As it stood, what's really stopping this Liam boy from performing witchcraft while he reigned New Orleans? And if Liam were to be under the protection of Elijah, he knew he was no match against an Original.

After a moment of heavy consideration, he cleared his throat. "You drive a hard bargain, Elijah. All right, I grant the witch pardon and have him put under your…supervision, but under one condition."

Elijah barely maintained patience. Couldn't he have just let the boy go and be done with it? "Which would be…?"

"He isn't allowed to practice magic at all, unless proper permission is given."

"Are you proposing even if he is under my protection, you would still pursue him, knowing the odds against are you in the presence of an Original?"

Elijah's tone sounded so dangerously calm, it even made Liam quiver in anxiety.

Marcel smirked. "Hey, those are the terms. Take 'em, or leave 'em."

Elijah's jaw squared. He did not like it when someone lower than him was besting him, but he had to be smart about this.

If he took the deal, the witch would be spared under the promise the young man no longer use his gifts without _Marcel's_ consent, and he would be well protected.

He sighed. "I accept your terms. Now, would your minions be so kind as to release the boy so we may be on our way?"

Marcel grinned devilishly. "Never thought you'd stick your neck out for a witch, let alone a guy—"

"The boy, Marcel."

His gaze lingered on Elijah before he turned to his posse. "Let him go."

The vampire who harassed Liam before, Dimitri, got a key and began unshackling him, while throwing the annoyed witch a flirtatious smirk. "You're lucky. Shacking with an Original. What I would kill to be in his shoes and have you all to myself."

Liam glared at Dimitri, highly pissed off. "Just do what you were told and unbind these accursed cuffs!"

He humored the mortal and did as he asked. "Don't look so glum, sexy. I have a feeling we'll see more of each other soon."

Liam spared him a sarcastic sneer. "I'll be counting the days." He walked over to stand near the one the vampires called 'the Original'.

"I let this slide once, Elijah," Marcel spoke, getting their attention. "Don't let there be another." With that said, him and his crew dispersed.

Elijah looked over and down at the shorter male. "Well, what to do with you?"

Liam looked up at the Original and blinked, not sure what to tell him.

…

The two men were on their way to the home the Mikaelson family once lived when they settled in New Orleans.

Since Liam would, more or less, be staying under Elijah's care, he would need a place to stay.

Along the way, Elijah noticed how silent Liam was the entire time. "You've barely spoken a word, young witch."

"I'm not in a chatty mood, to be honest." He stopped in his tracks, and abruptly, he laughed to himself.

This made Elijah halt in step and faced the boy with a raised eyebrow questioningly. "Might I ask what ails you to laugh?"

"It's ironic. My life could not get any more hectic as of today. I do something a necessity of a witch, and I was nearly executed by vampires for it. The _real_ knee-slapper is that I get rescued by one." He looked up at Elijah, and for reasons unknown to him, he felt awkward in his presence. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful—because I am, really. You really saved my neck back there. Thank you, uh… "

Elijah got the cliffhanger that the witch didn't know his name. "Pardon. My name is Elijah. Elijah Mikaelson"

Liam nodded slowly. "Elijah." He then stuck out his hand in a greeting gesture. "I'm Liam Huntsman."

He walked over and gingerly accepting the handshake. "Pleasure to be of acquaintance, Mister Huntsman."

Liam shrugged off the formality. "Liam will do fine. We're both adults."

"Of course." He released Liam's hand.

Liam settled for folding his hands behind his back. "So, err…since you're 'responsible' for me, what happens now?"

"As you have said, you are my charge. That entitles no harm shall befall you, as long as you keep me within contact, be it I am present or otherwise. I assume you do not need a refresher of the previous standards that were set?"

Liam shook his head. "Once was enough; I got the picture. No magic unless 'His Highness' allows it. Not something I'm personally upset over."

"Does this not bother you? Not being able to practice witchcraft?"

"No, not really. I've been a witch for almost three weeks and I've done just fine without magic before I even found out I was a witch."

"You have just discovered your abilities? Hasn't anyone in your family informed you of your heritage?"

"Well, I'd rather not go into vivid details; but let's say my family isn't so…familial." He waved his hand dismissively, not all that bothered by it. "But that's a chapter _long_ closed. Can we please skip along to where we need to go?"

Elijah's features softened at his charge's request. "Very well." He gestured for them to venture on. "Shall we?"

"Sure." He walked alongside his guardian, and they made their way to the old Mikaelson home.

While walking, Liam couldn't help but feel that things will only get more intense than today's transgressions.


	2. New Home

During the week, Liam got his possessions from his old residence and transferred them to the mansion Elijah and his relatives would be living in.

Currently, Elijah was out attending to important matters, so Liam was left on his own

When Liam unloaded the last of his things, he took it upon himself to explore the place. He deduced that the Mikaelsons were a very wealthy—and clearly ancient—family. He heard rumors and gossip about these Originals, and he never had thought he would have the opportunity to meet one of them—or live under the same roof as them, either.

He couldn't help but think of how dutiful Elijah was at making sure Liam was well provided for. It was…nice of him to be so considerate. At this, Liam tried to fight back a blush. Elijah was the kindest, generous, and most promising man…vampire—whatever, that Liam had ever met, and Liam was grateful for his hospitality.

Over the past few days, Liam had gotten to know Elijah a little bit better. It fascinated him that Elijah had lived over 1000 years and gotten to see and experience things people could dream they could. The 20s sounded like it was the happening of the century with the way Elijah explained it.

Liam was in the room Elijah offered for him to stay in. It belonged to one of his other siblings, but Elijah insisted he vacated it. The witch looked about the room and was captivated by the architecture.

_How could something so old still look this extravagant?_

Soon, he found himself in one of the master bedrooms. His eyes were fixated on the bookshelf and a particular one caught his attention. It looked leather-bound and worn out. The spine had a symbol on it that Liam recognized as the emblem of a pentagram.

He reached out and traced along the spine, feeling the worn texture of the tome. Curiously, Liam picked the book out, and when he saw the face, his earlier thought was proven correct: it was a grimoire.

Now he was confused. Elijah's family were vampires, and he knew full well vampires aren't able to perform magic—such as the ways of Nature. So why did they keep a grimoire in their collection?

Liam was tempted to look inside and find some spells that were documented inside.

After a long internal struggle, Liam gave into the temptation and opened the tome, seeing no harm in looking inside.

The moment his eyes sought the vast information contained within, he was immediately hooked. Liam's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets when he read every potentially powerful spell in it.

"My God…" He flipped to another page.

It was… Incredible! Every spell he could ever imagine was in that book. Whoever the owner of this book was must've been one powerful witch—maybe even feared.

He skimmed page after page, until he came across one spell that intrigued him:

_**Spell of Immortality**_

He, at first, never thought it would be possible for a being to be truly immortal, but there were the living dead roaming the Earth, so that rebuffed his argument.

Liam never believed in true immortality. As he was a witch, it was a common belief system that Nature intended for _all_ living things to die at some point in a lifetime. Whoever this witch was must have been pretty desperate to concoct a spell that went against Nature's rules.

"I see you've stumbled across something of interest," said a familiar voice with a drawl, which made Liam nearly jump out of his skin.

Liam turned around, the grimoire clutched against his chest, and came face-to-face with Elijah, who was standing at the threshold with his hands in his pockets, looking eerily calm.

The Original walked inside the room toward him.

He looked down at the grimoire and shut it before looking back up at the Original. "I'm sorry. I was looking around, and I…well… I'm being abnormally nosy. I shouldn't've snooped like that."

Elijah chuckled and he skimmed about the bookshelf. "The curious mind is a wondrous thing. There's nothing to apologize for."

The witch smiled slightly before he paused for a moment. "So, if you don't mind me asking, whose is this? Is there anyone in your family who're witches are something?"

Elijah had a grim look on his face as he looked over and at the grimoire in the dark-haired man's hands. "It…belonged to my mother. Esther, she…she was a very talented witch."

Liam noticed the icy tone Elijah had when he spoke of his mother. "I guess it makes sense. If there were Original Vampires, there had to be an Original Witch…" He alternated between flipping it over, front cover to back in a nervous gesture. "You…don't sound too fond of your mother."

"She was responsible for turning me and my siblings to what we are today."

"Oh… Well, I guess she really didn't want to part from her kids, then."

"I assumed that as well, until…"

As Elijah's sentence trailed, Liam looked up at him. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"I appreciate your concern. If you are up to it, do you fancy hearing my—as you say—sob story?"

He shrugged, mildly interested in what the Original was pitching. "I haven't heard anything juicy all week. Lay it on me."

"Very well. I do not want to bore you with age old tales, so I'll give you the entertaining version."

"I'll take what I can get."

"Before I came to New Orleans, I had a very interesting adventure in Mystic Falls, Virginia…"

So he told him everything, from start to finish. And the vampire was right, his adventure was a dangerously entertaining one.

From doppelgänger sacrifices and the siring of hybrids to the brief reunion of the Original family and so on.

Of every word Elijah described, Liam had a certain reaction.

When the older man described his brother Niklaus—who goes by Klaus—Liam knew he was the Original Hybrid everyone was sniveling in fear about. Liam wasn't afraid, not one bit.

Liam had a tendency not to believe rumors and would rather meet this 'dangerous' hybrid face-to-face. Since Klaus was Elijah's brother, that meeting would happen eventually.

And onto the hybrids. The most dangerous species to have ever been created. Liam had a thought that hybrids were a crossbreed between two or more species, but in this case, it was a combination of vampire and werewolf.

As Klaus was one of his kind, he sought to make an army of his own; but in actuality, it was a means of creating a new, loyal—well, more like _forced_ loyalty due to a sire bond—family because his biological family, in his words, 'abandoned' him.

At first, Klaus was unsuccessful in their creation after he thought he fulfilled the requirements of the Hybrid Curse ritual, but one thing he didn't take into account was that the doppelgänger's blood was the key to creating as many hybrids as Klaus desired. If the doppelgänger was dead, siring a species would never be possible.

Liam had to judge Klaus' character. In Liam's mindset, Klaus was acting like a 3-year-old who failed to get his way, so he acts out to force others' hand and make them bend to his will. To think after 1000 years, it would teach him to be mature, but then again this was an apathetic anomaly to have ever existed.

Liam questioned Elijah's persistent need to attempt to save someone who took his good judge of character and kindness for granted at every turn.

The answer was simple: They were brothers; family. Family above all.

And to his mother Esther. Boy, this was a very…peculiar conversation.

Esther was a very powerful witch back in the old days. She loved her family with everything she had, and one day, she decided that her need to keep her family together was too great and made a spell to turn all her loved ones into immortals—vampires. Go figure.

Later, Esther met her end. Or so they thought.

Liam would've thought it was a sweet gesture, until Elijah informed him that when she turned up out of the blue and called a family reunion bash, only it was a ruse to lure the present day doppelgänger, Elena Gilbert, there and use her blood to bind the Originals together and get rid of them all in one fell swoop.

When one dies, as do the others. Doing so will not do only that, but eradicate every vampire within their sire line. The grand scheme of wiping out the vampire race.

Since then, Esther made it her mission to 'correct the wrongs' she committed: kill her children.

It was unanimous…

"Your mother was a colossal bitch. She's lost all respect from me by trying to kill you." Realizing what he said, he cursed himself. That was really inappropriate and uncalled for.

Elijah didn't seem to either notice or was bothered by it. "I guess we all can't choose our family."

Liam nodded in agreement. _Don't I know it?_

"It is a thing of the past. If anything, it was worth it."

"You know, for someone who went through a lot of drama, you're pretty chill about it."

"Throughout the years, I've learned that one needs to be calm under any circumstance. I cannot afford to subject under pressure of any kind."

He nodded lowly. "I guess I see where you're coming from."

Elijah eyed the grimoire in Liam's possession. "Seeing as neither I or my siblings nor my mother has no further use for it, you may use it, if you so desire."

Liam looked at him, perplexed. "Really? I mean, I don't want to impose or anything by taking something this invaluable to your family."

"I insist. But I must warn you to be very cautious. My mother was powerful, but she messed with forces that not even she had control over, and that was what brought her to her end."

He smiled appreciatively. "I promise." He began to open the book and read its contents.

Elijah studied him as he read the ancient tome. He had no doubt that Liam would excel in his proficiency and become a proper, more capable witch—as he should.

Liam noticed eyes boring into him and he looked up to catch Elijah looking at him reading. He smiled lowly. "Please stop staring."

"I apologize, if I'm making you uncomfortable."

Liam shook his head. "No, it's just that I'm not used to being stared at by anyone. It's…distracting." He paused, then he turned to the Original, looking tentative. "Hey, Elijah?"

"Yes?"

"Can you…promise me something?"

"What is it?"

"This may sound a bit melodramatic, but…can you promise me that you'll always be there for me. No matter how tough things get, I know I can count on you to be there to make things better. Can you do that for me?"

Elijah gazed into Liam's silently pleading eyes, seeing how much this one pact meant to him. In the short time he knew him, Elijah found how quasi-dependent the younger man was. "I cannot be sure I could fully hold to your request, but…I will try my best to stand by it. You have my word."

"Thank you, Elijah." He smiled gratefully. "You've done so much for me in a short amount of time, and … I don't know how I could repay you for it."

"None necessary. I merely appreciate your company as payment. Is that all right?" He gave him a charming smile.

"I don't see why not. If it's okay with you, then I guess I'm cool with it, too." He sat in a nearby chair and brought his legs up before crossing them. "You know, you might be one of the coolest vampires I've ever met."

Elijah grinned lightly and raised a sophisticated eyebrow. "Am I now?"

"Well, you're the _only_ cool vampire I've ever met. The ones that nearly executed me not long ago were not so much. They won't make it on my friendly contacts any time soon."

"Well, rest assured, that lot will not be bothering you again."

He shrugged lightly and went back to reading. "I'm not worried about them. Even without powers, I can kick some ass."

Elijah hummed. "I'm sure you can."

…

Liam was in the living room copying down the spells from Esther's old spell book to a medium-sized pocket book. He thought it would be safe and handy to have a few spells under his belt to get him out of a serious jam should the situation call for it.

Luckily, his versatility in languages was enough to understand what the deceased witch had written.

He was nearly done with the old text, just as he was reaching the last few pages of the pocket book.

Just as he was about to get to the remaining enchantments, a voice growled, "Who the bloody hell are you?"

Liam looked up and caught sight of a rather semi-attractive man standing at the door frame.

Dark blond hair, blue eyes, animalistic features.

_This_ must be the infamous, fearsome Original Hybrid, Klaus Mikaelson—Elijah's younger brother.

He ignored his supposed threatening tone and went back to what he was doing. "Liam Huntsman. Twenty years old, I'm a witch, and apparently, your new roommate. Nice to meet you."

"I wouldn't take that tone with me, mate," Klaus said with a moody edge in his voice. "I don't take kindly to those who talk to me in that manner. You would do well not to provoke me."

He looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Is this the part where I'm supposed to be intimidated and I get down on my knees and beg you not to unleash your wrath upon me?" He scoffed and went back to writing. "Get over yourself. I've seen marshmallows scarier than you."

Before Klaus could get a word in, Elijah stepped in. "Niklaus, now's not the time to pick fights with our guest. We have more pressing priorities to attend to."

Klaus pressed his thin lips into a tight line, looking exceedingly pissed, and marched into the next room to await his brother.

Elijah looked at Liam. "I must apologize for my brother. He can be quite…"

"An asshole? A douche? A completely arrogant jerk beyond all reason?"

"Liam," Elijah began seriously, "I urge you not to engage in confrontation with Niklaus—"

"I appreciate your concern, Elijah, but don't worry. As long as he stays out of my way, everything's golden."

The Original just stared at the young witch with heavy concern. Despite Liam being under his protection, it didn't necessarily mean he was safe from Klaus' dangerous impulses if he so much as snap a finger in his direction.

"Regardless. Try not to cause _too_ much trouble."

"Oh, all right. If it'll stop you from being such a Nancy Drew about it," Liam shot back teasingly.

"A…what?"

"Figure of speech. So what happened? You were gone for…" He looked at the timer on his phone. "An hour and a half."

"My brother and I went to see a coven of witches. When we did, we were informed of some rather…shocking news." He paused momentarily. "Niklaus is expecting to be a father."

Liam frowned and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. How was that even _remotely_ possible? Vampires are unable to procreate.

As if knowing where the next subject will lead to, Elijah explained. "Although it is impossible for vampires to have children, Niklaus was born a werewolf."

He nodded in understanding, "Despite being a hybrid, his wolf half will always allow him to reproduce. Typical. There's always a way around something." He chuckled and closed his books. "Well, Klaus—the most feared hybrid in existence—is a soon-to-be daddy; who'd have thought?"

"This slip of fate may prove to be something great for our family. If Niklaus would open his eyes and see it as well."

He looked up at Elijah and saw he looked distracted with something else. "That look…I'm getting the feeling there's more to this than Klaus' paternity status."

"The coven of the Quarter has forced our hand," he replied with a calm yet pissed look. "They have linked the mother of the child to one of them. If we do not cooperate, they will endanger her."

"And here I thought most witches these days were supposed to beat the stereotype of being looked upon as evil, wicked creatures. These bitches…"

Elijah snorted. Ironic, the majority of said 'bitches' in this coven were female.

"They're a disgrace to the witch community; putting a poor baby on death's door. Why would they do that?"

"Unfortunately, they have a vendetta against Marcel—"

"For real? Who're these rebellious bastards? Sign me up! Gerard's going down—!"

He gave him a stern look. "Liam—"

"Kidding, kidding. Marcel may not be my biggest fan, but I won't go to that extreme to piss him off any further than I already have. Please continue."

"Sophie Deveraux bargained us to assist her and her coven in their little war against Marcel. Seeing as she has something of value being used against us, she is confident that we would give into her demands."

At the mention the Deveraux witch, Liam looked shocked. "Hold up, _Sophie_'s in on this? When this is over, remind to slit that bitch's throat."

Elijah chuckled, amused at his threat. "You may have some competition. Niklaus wants her head as well."

"I work with that wench, which means I have easier access to her; her ass is mine, once that bond between her and…whoever the baby mama is, is broken."

…

The next day, Liam woke up and got dressed. He was on his way out of the room when he ran into a girl—a very pretty girl. She was a tall brunette with attractive features.

You could tell she was a tough bitch with a 'no-nonsense' attitude emanating from her.

Liam greeted her. "Uh, hello. Morning."

"Hi…?" she replied, awkwardly. "…Who're you?"

"I'm Liam. You must be Hayley, right?"

She nodded. "Elijah told me about another person staying here. So, you're a witch."

"Well…a witch just getting into the swing of his heritage. But who's splitting hairs on the details?"

She nodded shortly.

"Well, that's pretty much the introductory of the one Liam Huntsman, the halfway decent adult witch. So you're the hybrid's baby mama?"

She nodded noncommittally. "…Pretty much."

"Impromptu motherhood doesn't sound like it's at the top of your list of things to worry about, I imagine."

"Unfortunately. Just when I thought my situation couldn't get any more fucked up. Especially with Klaus…"

He led her down to her new room as they continued talking. "He didn't look like he was jumping for joy at news last night. Fatherhood must be a touchy thing he didn't want to be burdened with. No wonder he's such an insensitive slug."

"And he's gonna be the father of my baby. Yay me…"

"Oh, I feel bad for you, truly," he joked, getting a laugh out of the female wolf. He looked at Hayley with a concerned look. "Are you gonna be okay about this whole freaky arrangement?"

She shrugged. "I've been through worse. I guess this whole thing is a good excuse for me to make a fresh start. It's a cruel world out there."

He nodded in understanding. "I know. I guess things happen for a reason; all you can do is move along the best you know how." When they reached the room, he frowned at how dusty and filthy the place is. "Nasty… If it wasn't prohibited for me to use my powers, I'd have this room cleaned up in no time."

"I've heard about that from the coven that held me last night," she said, as she helped him pull some sheets off the furniture. "What's the deal with that, exactly?"

"Word on the street is, this Marcel dude snatched monarchy of New Orleans right from under the Original family' feet when they fled the city a while back." He carefully discarded the sheets in a hamper to clean later. "Last week, I got caught doing magic—one of Marcel's _awesome_ decrees. I thought for sure the gates of hell were opening up to greet me, but—thank God—Elijah came to bail me out…and here I am."

"Wow…"

"Yeah, well, I'm just grateful that he's actually putting up with me… I sometimes can't tell if it's his greatest strength or his Achilles' heel."

"He's one of a kind; that much I can say."

He nodded softly. "Always putting the needs of others before his own… I admire that."

"He seems like a decent guy. He gave me his word that he'll protect me and the baby."

He turned to Hayley. "Hey, I can tell you're a badass werewolf and all, but even you can use some Original back up. And if it's coming from Elijah, then there's nothing to worry about. I know him long enough to know he'll stick to his promises."

She smiled appreciatively. "Thanks you."

"It's the least I could do. After all, one way or another, we're all in this thing together."


	3. Something's Not Right

All day Liam had tried to get into contact with Elijah, but with each passing minute, he grew worried. He left plenty of voice mails and texts to get him to return a call, but after almost 2 hours later—nothing.

He checked the place from top to bottom, and yet, no sign of the noble Original anywhere.

Where could he be?

Something in the back of his mind was nagging him, shouting at him that Elijah was in trouble somehow, somewhere. But what?

"Looking for something, little man?" asked a familiar, gruff British accented man.

The witch closed his eyes and tried to reel in his frustration. He _so_ didn't want to deal with Klaus right now. "Not that it's any of your business nor do you give a damn to care, but I'm looking for Elijah, and he's nowhere to be found."

Klaus grinned slyly. "Isn't that a pity?"

Liam frowned and canted his head to the side. "What is? What happened to him?"

"My brother and I had a very interesting conversation earlier this morning. It seems that he wasn't up to the task of helping us."

He raised an eyebrow, unconvinced of Klaus' words. "Isn't that odd? Where is he now?"

"He didn't say. Little words were exchanged and afterwards…" He shrugged in indifference. "He hasn't left any indication informing his departure. Maybe he had skipped town by now, who knows?"

He didn't believe a single word the hybrid said. He knew better. Elijah wouldn't just leave to go somewhere without informing someone first.

However, if it was something top business-related, that much he understood.

But the sudden decision to leave New Orleans just because he felt that he couldn't handle a little pressure seemed…fake.

Now he _knew_ something was wrong. And somehow, Klaus was a part of that problem.

"Does Hayley know about this? She's under his oath to be protected just as much as I am." He wanted to know if Klaus spread this kind of slander to her as well.

"Why, of course." His concerned tone sounded sour, not really sounding concerned at all. "She has every right to know of Elijah's cowardice. Poor girl. Having to be on the receiving end of Elijah's inability to stand by his promises."

The witch bit the inside of his cheek when Klaus called Elijah a coward. Call it being defensive, paranoid, judging Klaus too harshly, or whatever.

Elijah was many things, but a coward and a failure of his word he was not.

It was no secret Liam wasn't completely trusting of Klaus, but with his history with his family, he wouldn't be surprised if the hybrid locked Elijah away in a dungeon somewhere for all he knew.

Klaus saw the look on his face. "You don't seem to think so."

"No, I don't. Something in the air reeks, and I'm not talking about the age old mildew of these dingy rooms."

Klaus smirked. "Oh? And what, might I ask, has you so quick to doubt my claim that Elijah just simply turned tail when it was too much to handle? Unless…you enjoy having my brother dote on you. That must be why you're ready to bare fang when a slight is uttered against him."

Liam was unmoved by his assumption. He wondered where he got the assumption that he was getting special treatment from Elijah just because the Original was protecting him. However, he didn't care to think of such things. He wasn't going to waste his valuable time fighting Klaus on the subject.

He rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Whatever. I'm going to work." He went to move past Klaus. "Try not to fill Hayley's head with any more absurd tales. I happen to like her, as opposed to you." When he bumped Klaus' shoulder he was met with several flashes.

_A silver dagger, the tip coated with sacred oak ash…_

_Elijah…skin beginning to grey…all color drained until he reached full desiccation…left immobile, temporarily dead—the dagger still lodged in his chest, right where his heart is located._

_A pristine coffin, the suit-wearing Original lay slumbered inside…_

_The lid slid closed, and the one closing it was none other than…_

A gasp pulled him back into the present and he jerked away from Klaus like he was caught on fire. He stared wide-eyed at the hybrid like he was bringing Armageddon to the world.

He had a sneaking suspicion that this monster was responsible for the mess that he was trying to uncover.

Klaus' voice made Liam snap out of his thoughts. "Is there a problem, mate?"

He frowned deeply at the hybrid. "None at all." With that, he walked off and down the grand stairs, out of Klaus' line of sight.

He felt his insides clench. _That vision…_ It certainly explained a lot. Elijah was somewhere, tucked away in a coffin—he had to laugh at the irony of a vampire sleeping in a coffin, but back on the subject.

It took everything he had to push his increasing anger to the side.

Blind rage wasn't going to do him any good, only provoke, and he wanted everything to avoid that scenario at all possible.

He grabbed his coat and made his way to the door, only to be intercepted by Hayley.

"Liam? Where're you going?"

"I have a shift. I may hate Sophie with every fiber of my being now, but, unfortunately, I still have to work with her. Need anything while I'm out?"

She paused to think for a moment. "Some gelato. I have this _intense_ craving for some dairy products, and seeing as we're vacating with vampires, certain necessities are hard to come by."

He nodded in confirmation. "Gotcha. When I'm on break I'll buy some. See you later." With that said, Liam slipped out the door and set straight for the restaurant.

Hopefully, the urge to gouge Sophie Deveraux's eyes out won't disrupt his work flow too much.

…

The sound of the entry bell alerted Sophie that someone was walking in. She looked up and saw it was Liam at the entrance shrugging his coat off.

"You're late, Liam," she noted as she went back to cooking.

"I'm here now, aren't I?" the male witch snapped back, as he went to the back to get ready to work.

When he went through the back door, the Deveraux witch stared after in confusion.

Under five minutes later, Liam came out from the back ready to work. Pen and notepad in hand, he went and took a few orders. Since the restaurant was famous for its delicious gumbo, a handful of people ordered it along with a few alcoholic beverages.

Later at some point in the afternoon, Cami, another one of his co-workers and closest friend, approached him. "Liam, are you feeling okay?" She saw the visible dark circles under the man's eyes and the light redness in his scleras. "You look like a total zombie."

"Yeah, yeah—I'm fine." He rubbed his eyes to fight off the impending fatigue. "I went to bed late."

"Don't make it a habit."

He laughed at her light scolding.

"I don't want you to suddenly drop and get hauled off to the emergency room. I won't accompany you."

Knowing she was joking at the last bit, Liam gave her a friendly smile. "Thanks, Cami. You always know what to say to make my day brighter."

She returned the smile, then she looked over her shoulder and caught sight of Sophie diligently cooking. She then remembered that during the entire time, he has been feeling a little more irritable with the woman.

She was aware that Liam wasn't particularly fond of Sophie, but in between time earlier, she could practically taste the rage permeating from the dark-haired man. She was curious as to why that is.

"What's going on between you and Sophie?"

He sputtered, nearly chocked at how Cami chose her wording. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean your attitude toward her."

Liam sighed a little in relief. _Good, God—that's what she meant…_

"I know you don't really like her all that much. Is there a reason behind the extra negativity?"

He huffed, his face morphed to a scowl. "Oh, that. You didn't get the memo? She's not exactly high on my list of favorable people."

"What did she do to make you despise her with such passion?"

He had to stop and think of a plausible reason to tide the human woman over. He really didn't want to get her into the Originals' affairs with Sophie and her coven.

Aside from Ramona, Cami was one of Liam's most normal friends who was oblivious to the supernatural goings-on in New Orleans, and he intended to keep it that way.

The less she knew, the _absolute_ better.

"She…did something that seriously pissed a few new friends of mine off, so by association, she upset me," he partly-fibbed. "It's a long story that you probably don't want to hear, and no offense, Cams, it's also a subject I really don't want to talk about."

She nodded in understanding. "I hope it's nothing too serious…"

_You don't know the half of it_.

"Ugh! I gotta get back on my shift," she mumbled to herself. She turned to Liam. "Hey, aren't you on break?"

He took out his phone to reference the time. Twenty more minutes until his break period. "No. Not until another twenty minutes. Did you need something?"

"Do you mind helping me bartend? I kinda have my hands full."

"Sure. No problem." He then followed her back to the bar to help her.

…

Wave after wave, Cami and Liam served very thirsty and demanding customers. With both of them working together, they have managed to achieve customer satisfaction.

He was shifting into a somewhat good mood. He seemed to have forgotten—or at least repressed his worries to focus more on his job.

However, his upbeat attitude just plummeted when he was faced with someone he really didn't want to see.

"Hello again, handsome," Dimitri greeted with a flirty wink as he took a seat at the bar, right across from the dark-haired witch.

Liam sneered at him. "Go away."

"Ah, come on, love. Don't be like that," Dimitri said in feigned hurt. "And last I checked, this place was open to everyone."

"Cut the bullshit. Why are you even here?"

"To see you. I told you we'd see each other again."

Liam groaned, frustrated. "Must you insist on being a creep?"

"I was hoping to brighten your mood." Dimitri leaned forward, a seductive smirk on his face.

He frowned deeply at the vampire. "I don't like you. Now piss off."

"Because you haven't taken the chance to know me. I've been told I have a very exuberant personality."

He rolled his eyes and tried to ignore the persistent man. "Don't you have anything else better to do other than harass me while I'm trying to work?"

Dimitri playfully winced. "Harassment's a _strong_ term, love—"

"And stop calling me that! You're not cute."

"You're right. I'm not cute."

Liam looked at him lopsided, as if he was insane.

Dimitri spoke up, his South African accent thick with glee. "I'm gorgeous, beautiful. So tell, me, how are things progressing with you and the Original?"

"A: Why is it any of your business? And B: Why makes you think I would tell you something that's not even happening in the first place?"

"I'd like to know what I'm up against in the competition for your attention."

He froze. "What? Competition? What the _hell_ are you prattling on about now?!"

"Isn't it obvious, handsome?" Dimitri had an innocent look and a smile on his face. "I've taken a liking to you."

Liam grimaced and shook his head in denial. "Ha, no. You and the rest of the Vampire Inquisition nearly killed me, what a week and a half ago."

"Correction: _they_ were going to end you. I had no part in that."

He narrowed his eyes at him. "Oh, I didn't see you enacting any heroism of stand up to your buddies to set me free. You were standing there observing and cracking jokes while the others were no doubt thinking of how to draw out my misery for their own twisted amusement."

"I was too stunted by your beauty to form any rebellious actions. Can you blame me?"

Liam gritted his teeth in anger. "You are such a—Argh! God!"

The vampire smirked. "I'm a god, eh? I knew you would see sense. See? Chemistry is building already."

Liam stared furiously and it took all of his willpower not to decimate the South African vampire. "Why are you messing with me? What do you want?"

"Now, that last bit was a harmless jest, but I assure you, I'm being genuine with you. As for what I want, well, I want many things. For starters, fancy a drink with me?"

"What part of me not being remotely liking you do you not get? Take the hint and get the hiking."

He was not about to back down. "So, what is it about this Elijah bloke that has you so drawn to him?"

The witch closed his eyes and sighed lowly. "I am _not_ going to discuss that. Especially with _you_." He paused for moment. "Oh, and FYI, I'm sick of people coming to that insane conclusion. He's just my…." He struggled to find a proper word to label the Original. "…Guardian. That's all."

"But you have a thing for him, yeah?"

"Again, not going to talking about it with you. And will you leave already? I'm trying to work and you're distracting me."

"You've no idea how much and what kind of _distraction_ I can be." He smirked suggestively.

Liam cringed at the innuendo. "You're sickening."

"Come now, don't deny you find the idea enticing."

"No, I don't believe I do."

Seeing the situation was at a stubborn standstill, Dimitri was getting serious. "At least give me a chance, Liam."

The witch set the pitcher he was cleaning down and stared at the vampire. "Why should I even give you the time of day, huh?"

"Other than trying to convince you I'm not an annoying, flirty demon from hell you've seem to have branded me as, I _can_ be sound company. And I know you could use one right about now."

Liam gave him a disbelieving look.

"And I was serious when I said I like you. You're entertaining, resilient, incredibly appealing, you're single—a win on my part—and I see you have great potential. And I want to know more about you. If you'll allow me."

Liam took a while to respond. He was laying out his options at the moment. On one hand, he contemplated on telling the attractive vampire to bug off again. He didn't deserve to have a chance to get into Liam's good books.

The other, he wasn't so sure—his history with men, or lack thereof, wasn't looking very promising. And if he was to get involved with someone, it should at least be with someone he tolerated enough. Dimitri was something he couldn't quite place as the man had a tendency to act like an utter goof.

"I'll think about it," he eventually said, avoiding eye contact with Dimitri by wiping down the counter.

Dimitri smiled, a little satisfied by the vagueness of the answer. "Better than nothin', I guess. I look forward to another meeting, handsome." Then he got up and went to leave.

"Who was that?"

The sudden appearance of Cami standing next to him and the sound of her voice almost made Liam jump out of his skin.

He looked over and saw the blonde giving him a look that suggested something he dreaded she shouldn't have. "Just some guy who, apparently, admires me and wants to get to know me."

She gave him a wide grin. "Liam! It's about time you got yourself out there!"

He chuckled and shook his head. "Oh-ho, no. I'm not looking for a relationship."

"I didn't say anything like that. And it looks like he left something, too."

He frowned. "He did? Left what?"

She pointed to the counter, and he followed her line of direction to see a piece of folded paper there.

He picked it up and opened it.

_**Give me a call sometime, sexy. I promise you won't regret it.**_

–_**Dimitri**_

At the end, it had Dimitri's phone number.

"Oh, God…Why me?" he muttered, slightly dismayed.

"It's cute," Cami inputted as she cleaned some pitchers. "And your 'admirer' was pretty hot."

"Of course you would think such a thing."

When he was sure Cami wasn't looking, Liam—with a little internal strife—slipped the paper in his pocket.

"I saw the whole thing!" Ramona cried, making her way toward the two. "Oh, my God—who was that?" She looked to her male friend. "Liam—!"

Liam moaned helplessly. "Oh, come on…not you, too, Mona…"

She was all smiles and super giddy. "Tell me everything—from start to finish!"

"I'm not telling you anything because there is nothing to tell!" he chided, trying to avoid her nitpicking in a nonexistent topic.

"That's a lie! You just accepted his note—!"

He flushed, embarrassed that he had been outed. "Mona!"

"I knew it." Cami smirked. "I'll bet by the end of the week, you'll be walking around town with a new daddy at your hip."

He hunched over the counter, his head down. "Oh, my God. Is it time to go home yet?"

The females just carried on with the teasing. It really never gets old, but that's what Liam loved about them.

And he wouldn't have it any other way.


	4. There's Always a Problem

Later that night, Liam returned to the Mikaelson mansion with the items the pregnant werewolf asked for. "Hey, Hayley!"

The sounds of feet prodding down steps filled his ears and soon, Hayley came into view.

He held up the bags in his hand. "Here's that gelato you asked for. And I got you some fruit juice."

She came down one step at a time. "What kind? The juice, I mean."

"Three different kinds." He met her halfway. "Grape, cranberry, and a delicious mix of both—grape cranberry." He fished out the tub of gelato and said, "I didn't know what kind you like, so I hope you're in the mood for a blend of chocolate chip mint and strawberry."

She hummed in delight. "Yum! Thanks." She took the tub.

"Sure a little thing like you could eat all that by yourself?"

"I'm a wolf, remember? A tub of ice cream is nothing."

He held up his hands in mock surrender. "Whoa, sorry I asked." He looked serious. "Klaus hasn't been giving you any problems has he?"

"No, thank God. After he passed the message that Elijah bailed, it gave me some time to think about some things."

He pursed his lips, trying to refrain from having a bout regarding Elijah's sudden 'departure.' The worries he buried all afternoon resurfaced full force and he felt his gut drop slightly at the thought if something had happened to Elijah.

"Hey—"

Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts, but whatever she was going to say were halted when the front door opening.

He turned his torso to the side to catch sight of a rather attractive blonde female.

Fierce-looking, the upbringing of a bad bitch, and the purpose she put in her step.

He guessed she was an Original—more importantly, Klaus and Elijah's sister.

The woman caught sight of the two. "Ah, you must be the servants. My belongings are in my car. Be dears and fetch them, will you?"

Liam quirked an eyebrow, looking highly offended. "We aren't the servants. We're…kind of live here. You must be Klaus and Elijah's sister, right?"

"Rebekah. Charmed." She looked at Hayley, "You're that werewolf girl my brother, Klaus, knocked up. I was expecting to see some kind of supernatural, miracle baby bump. Guess you're not showing yet." She turned to Liam and frowned. "And what's your purpose here again?"

He sighed inaudibly. "Long story short, Elijah helped me out of a sticky situation."

"Speaking of my brother, do either of you have any idea where he is?"

"No. He was alright a few days ago, and he just…dipped after making the most heartfelt promise of all time to protect us. Well, Hayley's pregnant, so that's justified. My predicament is sort of…planted."

Rebekah gave him a dull look, telling him to get on with it.

"Anyway, we haven't heard from him since then. Klaus said—"

"Klaus?" She sighed exasperated. "Of course he had something to do with it. Where is he?"

He didn't answer, just directed her inside.

She marched in the direction he showed her and started shouting. "Klaus! Get your ass out here and tell me what you've done with Elijah! _Now_!"

As if on cue, Klaus emerged from his quarters and saw his younger sister before him. "Little sister. Welcome home. I've heard there were six vampires slaughtered earlier this evening. You're dirty work, I assume?"

She smiled wryly. "They were very rude. Treating a lady with such hostility, they deserved to be taught a lesson." She gave him a bitchy, taunting smile. "Sorry, were they friends of yours? Oh, that's right, you don't have any. Shame."

Hearing this, Liam nodded in appreciation and smiled. _I like her style. She doesn't put up with his bullshit_.

Klaus smirked at his younger sibling. "Oh, I have friends. Marcel, you remember him, don't you?"

Rebekah was silent, confirming his answer.

"Yes, of course you do. He fancies himself the 'King of the Quarter' now, and he has these rules about killing vampires. It'll be fun to see what sort of punishment he comes up with for you."

"I don't care about Marcel or his _rules_," she snapped acidly. "Elijah doesn't abandon important affairs nor does he renege on his promises; what did you do?"

"As I have explained to our guests, perhaps he had a change of heart," Klaus fabricated with a strange smirk on his face. "If you don't believe me, take a look around."

…

Liam sat on the steps, lost in his own mind, after overhearing Klaus and Rebekah go at it about their past for some time.

It was official…

Klaus had to be the most selfish, most destructive creature that has ever roamed the face of the Earth. Getting buddy-buddy with _Marcel_—the man who nearly signed his death warrant over two weeks ago—and undermining the value of his siblings was just too much.

To make it worse, Klaus wasn't even _affected_ by Elijah's disappearance. What kind of monster shrugs off his family's suffering and not look back without a problem?

Rebekah's sudden appearance in front of him, jolted the witch back to reality. "Man witch. You seem to have some connection to Elijah. I'm going to scour this place from top to bottom until I find him. You're helping."

"Don't have to tell me twice." He stood. "I'm not too fond of Klaus either. Since I've met him, he's been like poison—and after what he's done these past few days, he's made my shit list. So where do we start looking?"

She looked him up and down, as if analyzing him. For some strange reason, she grinned. "I see you'll make a wonderful addition to our little abnormal family. We need some new attributes to accommodate the last 900 years."

He was taken aback. "Well…err…" He cleared his throat, appearing less uncomfortable. "I appreciate the compliment. Thank you."

…

Rebekah led Liam down several halls—halls Liam had yet to know about—and turned a corner until the came to a spiral staircase leading down.

"I could've sworn I looked all over the place. It's like trying to find a lost tomb," he said as they descended downwards.

"The governor had lots of different areas and rooms in this house. And ironically…well, you know when you see it."

They continue venturing downwards and they arrive in a dusty room cellar.

Rebekah flashed the flashlight onto the coffins ahead of them.

Recognition washed over Liam's face and he gasped. "What the hell…?"

She looked to Liam and frowned. "Don't tell me you're afraid of a few coffins?"

He gave her a dry look. "No. These…I've seen these. In a–a vision. I think I saw Klaus put Elijah in one of these."

She looked at him, perplexed. "What else did you see?"

"Klaus…had a sword—or a small knife or something and stabbed Elijah in the heart with it. I had no idea what it meant, but I do know that Elijah is in deep shit."

She rolled her eyes at the idea of what Klaus had done to her brother. "Of course. Klaus gets a real kick out of torturing us. His favorite form is stabbing us in the heart with magical daggers, which sends us into a deep slumber. Then he stuffs us in a box and leaves us to suffer until he decides it's convenient for him to raise us."

He looked wide-eyed as he scanned the rest of the coffins. "Are you serious? He keeps your coffins on the back burner? Every given moment in time?"

She gave him a sided glance. "Welcome to the dysfunction that is the Original family, love."

"I can't even fathom what it's like to be in an Original's shoes. Sometimes, I'm kind of grateful that I'm a witch—no offense."

"None taken." She overlooked the dark and turned to him fully. "It appears that Elijah's coffin isn't here. Klaus must have him stashed elsewhere."

"I am starting to worry about my safety now."

She gave him a pitied look. "You should've fled when you realized my brother was gone."

"Two problems with that option. One: I'm—in one shape or another—under Elijah's guardianship. I can't just leave him to suffer. He saved my life, so if he is in trouble, I want to help him. Two: Hayley is a good friend of mine, and I can't just leave her, because she's in a bind, too—ironically speaking. The witches of this coven placed a binding spell on her. Since she's carrying Klaus' baby, they have leverage and she's forced to stay here. If she leaves New Orleans, the witches will kill her without batting an eye."

She didn't understand what the fuss was about. He was a witch, shouldn't he have fixed the problem by now? "Well, you're a witch, why haven't you broken the bloody spell already?"

"Again, two things. One: I've been in the witch gig for nigh of almost three weeks, so I'm sorry if I don't know how to _properly_ break a spell that was cast by a more skilled witch. Two: If I use magic, I'm put back in the same situation I was in before. I could get killed!"

Her eyebrows rose and her mouth slacked. "What?"

"You haven't gotten the latest news around here? Witches are forbidden from practicing magic in the French Quarter."

"That's bloody madness."

"You're preaching the Hebrews here, Moses. It's not something we decided to come up with on the spot. Believe me, witches here and there across the city are itching to do whatever means necessary to reclaim their right to practice magic."

She sighed, aggravated. "This is ridiculous. I'm back home for almost 10 seconds and already things have gone to hell. Look, I'm going to find out what's going on. In the meantime, try to find out how to break the spell without getting yourself caught in the act." She gave him the flashlight and walked back up the stairs and out of sight.

When he was alone, he just looked around animatedly. "Easier said than done. It's like Marcel has a witch homing device that alerts him the minute a magic word is uttered."

He looked about the coffins and suddenly, a flash bounced off. He frowned in confusion and followed where the refraction was coming from. His eyes glanced down and saw something sticking from underneath Rebekah's coffin.

He knelt down, the flashlight directed so he could see. Two nodes were protruding and he reached out and drew them. These must be the daggers Rebekah was talking about. He could practically feel the magic imbued in them.

Klaus was overly prepared to stab his siblings in the heart if they rebelled against him. He got Elijah and Liam couldn't let the same fate befall Rebekah.

He clutched the daggers by the hilt and thought about what to do with them.

…

He wrapped the daggers securely in a white cloth and hid them away. He was then left to figure out what to do about the binding enchantment between Hayley and Sophie.

He really wanted to help his wolf housemate, but he couldn't do anything without something alerting Marcel.

Then he'll be back to square one.

He slumped back on the bed and ran a hand over his face, sighing in exasperation. How was he supposed to help if he's virtually powerless?

He got up and went to the room Hayley stayed in. "Hey, Hayley, you in here?" he called. As he rounded to the threshold of her door, he found she wasn't inside. "What the hell?"

He pulled out his phone and dialed her number. The line trilled for a while, but soon, she answered.

"_Hello?_"

"Hayley, where are you?" He descended down the stairs in haste. "You were supposed to stay in the house."

"…_Look, I know what you're thinking, but I can't have you following me._"

He paused in his steps to absorb what she just said. "Hayley, is this a stage of your pregnancy or something? Don't play games."

"_I'm serious. Don't look for me._"

"Hayley—!" The line cut and he gawked. He clutched his phone and gritted his teeth. "Fuck!"

…

He searched high and low throughout the French Quarter to find his pregnant companion.

He knew he should've used a locator spell to find her. The consequence of his life didn't concern him—Hayley's well-being in the Quarter was far more important. If people got wind that she's carrying Klaus' 'miracle child', she would be in far more trouble than he would.

She may be a capable werewolf, but with a vampire army under Marcel's control—the odds didn't sound pretty.

Night had settled and he was almost out of breath.

"Dammit, Hayley! Where the hell are you?!"

What if something happened to her? Vampires were stationed at every corner just waiting to attack, especially wolves.

Just then, he felt a throb in his head and strangely, he felt compelled to stand up and walk. Confusion racked his face as he found himself in Bienville Park.

He looked around until finally, he spotted a figure far away and he ran over with a purpose in each footing.

When the figure came into view, he found just the girl he was looking for. "Hayley!"

Shocked beyond belief, she yanked the cup she held in her hand away from her lips and stared at him wide-eyed. "What are you doing here?"

He walked over until he was standing beside the sitting girl. "I could ask you the same thing. In a park at night with a cup of…whatever that is, at dark thirty night? Why didn't you want me to know where you were?"

She avoided his gaze down to the cup in her hands and remained silent.

He looked between her and the cup, and suddenly, he came to a crazy conclusion. "Hayley, you didn't."

"It's not what you—"

He didn't let her finish and snatched the cup out of her hands and looked inside. It looked like regular tea, but he knew better that she didn't just come out here on her own just to drink some tea. He sniffed lightly and a strange aroma hit his senses.

Hayley mixed something with it.

He inhaled again.

It smelt like—

His eyes widened. "Aconite…" He looked at her crossly. "You…Hayley, were you trying to _poison_ your baby with wolfsbane?! Why would you do that?!"

She looked extremely guilty. "I…I was being stupid. Klaus was too demanding, and I…it was too much. I thought all my troubles would be over if… But I couldn't do it. It was probably maternity instincts or something, but I just couldn't. God, what was I thinking…?"

His features softened and he sighed. "It's a good thing you didn't. Look, we'll talk about this later. It's late and we need to get out of here before—"

"Leaving so soon?"

The witch and the she-wolf whipped around to see a vampire a few inches away from them.

Liam cursed under his breath. "Fuck!"

The vampire looked at Hayley, his vampire face on display. "Dumb move, coming into the Quarter." His eyes flittered to Liam, who glared at him. "And you, you're already on thin ice after what happened last time. So you and the wolf are coming with me."

He clenched his fists. "Let's get something straight. I have had a really shitty day. I don't need the walking dead think they can order me around! Now scurry on, or you'll see anger unlike any you've ever seen."

The vampire just laughed and Liam grew very pissed. He was not even paying attention that Hayley was taking the cup from him. "And what are you going to do if I don't? You can't do magic to stop me, witch."

Magical energy channeled throughout Liam's body, imbuing him with power. "Wanna bet—?"

"Hey, I've got something!" Hayley jumped in and threw the contents of the cup in the vampire's face.

The vampire screeched in pain as the hot liquid burned him.

She grabbed Liam's wrist and dragged him along with her. "Come on!"

When they turned around, two more vampires were standing in their way.

"Fuck it." Liam glared at the two, channeling his magic through his eyes.

The two vampires winced and their hands clutched at their heads, then they groaned in agony and fell to their knees.

He intensified the power he was exerting and the vampires began to cry out. He knew he couldn't hold the aneurysm for long, but long enough for him and Hayley to escape.

A tickle around his lip came to his attention and he knew it was nosebleed. He felt his concentration waver, seeing as the vampires were being less affected.

"Liam, stop—!"

"I'm alright." His pride was taking a tool on him. His body felt like it was shutting down. He never thought giving vampires aneurysms took so much energy.

"Liam! Stop!"

At her plea, he stopped the mental onslaught and swaggered into her hold. The world was spinning in Liam's eyes and he felt his eyes fall heavily, causing him to black out.

…

Bouncing movement brought Liam back to semi-consciousness and he felt arms under him. He was well enough in his right mind to figure out he was being carried. "…Elijah…?"

"Wow, the first thing you say when you wake up is my brother's name. Just rest, darling. You had a rough night."

He weakly shook his head and mumbled something incoherently.

"Hush. _Rest_."

"…I'll find you…somehow…if it's the last thing I do…" His eyes closed and he drifted off.

Making sure he was asleep, Rebekah just stared at the man she was carrying. She was well aware that Liam cared for Elijah, and she had an idea just how much.

However, she was concerned for his involvement with her brother. Klaus had a tendency to deny herself and Elijah any good will and she didn't want the man to suffer the consequences.

But Liam was good for Elijah. Her brother's history with women was a rocky one, especially with the Petrova doppelgängers, Tatia and Katerina (Katherine).

Elijah had a few encounters with men over the ages, but they never stuck. But the way he told her about Liam—of course, he would underlay his platonic feelings toward the man—she had a thought he affected her brother in ways no other had.

Liam was brave and very outspoken—he even stood up to Klaus, the most dangerous Original among them, and that was pretty damn extraordinary.

The blonde female Original carried Liam upstairs to his room, eventually setting him in bed. She got a wide, silk blanket and covered him with it, thinking it would do for now.

Soft prodding across the floor made her look up to see the pregnant wolf peering inside, looking concerned for the unconscious witch.

Sensing her anxiety, the female Original spoke. "It's all right. He's asleep. Poor bloke tuckered himself out."

"It's my fault," Hayley said softly. "If I hadn't have gone out, he wouldn't have went to go look for me and gotten into a fight with those vamps."

"Don't play blaming games, darling. What's done is done." She glanced at the resting man before looking back at the werewolf. "Well, I believe that's enough drama for one night. Let's all get some rest." She walked forward. "Sort this out tomorrow." She was out of the room.

Hayley lingered at Liam's door just looking at him for a while. Then, he she reached for the doorknob and slowly closed the door behind her.


	5. Clearing

The next morning, Liam was wide awake under the blankets, buried up to his chin. His thoughts drifted to last night and he felt like a complete failure.

A simple mental assault spell tired him out in mere seconds. What good was it being a witch if he couldn't maintain his magic? How could he be so weak that he couldn't even help himself and others when it really mattered?

Liam buried himself further under the sheets and closed his eyes. When he did, Elijah's face—his smile—made its presence known in his mind's eye. This spurred him to open his eyes again.

Four days since Elijah was pawned off to Marcel (Rebekah filled him in when he woke up about half an hour ago), he felt strangely empty.

He felt he was doomed anyway since he used magic to defend himself and Hayley from being attacked. Marcel probably knew about it and will come for him to finish what he was interrupted from doing. Now that he knew Elijah couldn't protect him anymore, he was truly frightened. He couldn't muster the energy to play it off.

A stray tear fell from Liam's eye and rolled down his cheek when it dawned on him—he was alone.

Again.

All his life he felt so alone. When he was 14, he came out to his parents about his sexuality and that was the day the chips fell. They kicked him out and he was left with $50 in his pocket and the clothes on his back.

His older brother, who was the most accepting, gave him a place to stay with him until Liam had the strength to stand on his own.

The past few years was a difficult one, but he survived the way he knew how.

Since meeting Elijah and having the sense of security he never had growing up, it made Liam think his struggles were worth it; that he was meant to be where he was now.

But it all came crashing down when Klaus bargained _his own brother_.

Liam couldn't find the drive to hate Klaus any further than he already did. He felt numb.

But one thing was for sure, though:

He was going to save Elijah, even if it meant die trying in the process.

…

A little later on, he was in the living room reading some of Elijah's old things.

A violin, old pictures, valuables and documents, and a book that he guessed was a diary/journal of sorts.

He sat on the couch and opened the book. Elijah's handwriting was small but it was at least legible. He got out his reading glasses and began reading.

_**August 1359.**_

_**I have noticed a difference in my siblings. Our bond strains beneath the pressure of our life as vampires. Each day removes them further from the humanity we once possessed. My sweet sister, Rebekah, has grown quite indifferent to brutality. However, the true problem remains my brother, Niklaus.**__**He continues to hide his loneliness with cruelty. Still, I cling to the hope that I, as their eldest brother, can lead them down the correct path, a path charged with the power of a family united. For if I fail, our family's legacy will end in darkness.**_

Liam closed the book and laid it on his lap, mulling over what Elijah had written. Elijah—despite the eternal turmoil—still held on to the hope that his family could be saved.

He had to admire his sense of persistence. Elijah loved his family enough to fight tooth and nail to have them back as they once were, happy and at peace—no matter the cost.

Liam dug around in the box and picked up an old photo of Elijah. It was nearly faded, but he could make out his face in the picture just fine.

He never thought it was possible to look so serious and sophisticated all at the same time, but Elijah somehow managed to pull it off in most of his portraits.

Subconsciously, he traced a finger along the frame, his eyes never leaving the painted eyes of the noble Original.

He didn't know why, but his heart ached. Rebekah informed him that Elijah was in Marcel's possession, but she couldn't recall where, because apparently, Marcel had a teenaged witch—a super powerful one—wipe her memory.

So now, they need a plan to fix this mess and rescue Elijah.

"You miss him."

He jolted and looked up to find Rebekah looking down at him with a strange look.

He perched his glasses atop his head and sighed. "It just doesn't feel the same without him." He looked at the box containing Elijah's possessions and frowned. "I feel like a creep, going through his stuff."

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to know how my brother works." She took a seat next to him. "Trust me, I've done worse to him than you have centuries before."

He chuckled and looked back at the picture in his hands. He took a moment to commit the image to memory; he couldn't seem to get Elijah's face out of his head anyway.

It was then Hayley's voice brought Liam back to reality. "So, what's the plan?"

Klaus turned to the wolf. "Well, that depends on what plan you want to hear. Mine, for global domination, or Rebekah's to find love that will never be."

Liam rolled his eyes at his dry act of humor. "The _plan_ to save Elijah, of course. Maybe you've heard of him? You know, the guy you pawned off like he was a cheap piece of gold?"

Rebekah huffed a short laugh at Klaus and Hayley looked mildly impressed at Liam's boldness.

"So while we're sitting on our asses willy-nilly," he continued irately, "do you have a grand scheme of some form to get him out of the jam you graciously put him in?"

"Well, little witch," Klaus started, "since Marcel deems me a comrade; that is my opportunity to sabotage his reign over the supernatural community of the French Quarter. Now, I gave him Elijah to gain his trust. If I had known he would place my brother in the hands of the nasty little witch he seems to have as his own, personal weapon, I would have fell back on a different alternative."

"Because God knows how you overly underestimate the abilities of those beneath you. What else have you got?"

Klaus turned to his sister. "Well, sister, care to enlighten our judgmental spitfire?"

She sighed. "The divert option…is that Niklaus is simply going to ask Marcel for Elijah back."

Liam frowned deeply and Hayley just gaped.

"Are you—that's it? No back-up plan?"

Klaus leaned back in the chair he was in. "Love. There's always a Plan B."

"Which is what…if I may ask?" Liam was wondering what the fallback plan was as well.

He smirked deviously at the witch. "War."

Liam hummed, then he sat up and got off the couch. "I'm going out. I'll see you guys later."

"Oh, and Liam, old chap."

The dark-haired man, making him stop and turn to the hybrid.

"Please try to refrain from making a repeat of last night. I would hate for you to be at the mercy of Marcel's tyranny." He smirked. "No thanks necessary. The least I could do for my brother's favorite."

He gave the hybrid a tight-lipped grimace. "Bye." Then he was out of the room and out of the door.

…

Liam walked down the streets of the French Quarter. He had a day off and was enjoying his free time.

He turned to walk into the library. He found a secluded area in a corner and got comfortable.

He dug out the pocket book from his jacket and opened it to read. _Reading_ about magic was a whole lot different than actually _doing_ it. When he performed his first spell, he felt…capable. His ability to do magic was the greatest thing since watching the _Harry Potter_ series.

But since Marcel restricted witchcraft, he felt completely weak, and it showed when he over-exerted himself trying to protect himself. If Klaus' plan to usurp Marcel actually works, Liam would dedicate every second to getting better at mastering his powers.

He spent about half an hour just rereading some spells and reading some fiction to pass the boredom.

He decided to drop by Ramona's place. He hadn't seen her since the run-in with Marcel and his men.

He backtracked and past Rousseau's, a few blocks down until he was in front of her small apartment building.

He rang the bell.

He heard footsteps and the door opened, revealing Ramona.

When she saw her friend, she gaped. "Liam!" She flew forward and enveloped the taller man in a tight hug.

He patted her back, and laughed. "Nice to see you, too, Mona."

"God! I thought I'd never see you again!" She separated from him, and suddenly, she hit him hard in the arm.

He yelped in pain and rubbed his arm. "What was that for?"

"For not calling and having me worried, you bastard!"

"Sorry! I've been a little preoccupied lately."

"Well, get in here! We have a lot to catch up on!"

So they did.

However, even though Ramona was in the know about the supernatural, Liam wanted her to be as ignorant to the current events as possible. She may hate him for lying to her later, but he felt she would be grateful she was left out of it later.

He took a bite out of a sugar cookie she offered him. It was delicious. He moaned in exaggerated bliss. "Oh, God…"

"Why, thank you. Though I think 'Goddess' is more appropriate."

He just snorted and took a swig of Kool-Aid to wash down the sweet dryness. "Why haven't you opened up a bakery yet?"

"Oh, don't start. I can't understand what it's like for Sophie to cook for a restaurant full of people. I don't think I'm up for that."

"Hey, you'll never know. Don't sell yourself short."

"Serving drinks is much easier."

He grinned noncommittally and settled for nibbling on the cookie, looking like a nervous chipmunk.

"So, how have you been doing?"

"Cool. Never better. Life is…booming…?"

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Liam, are you…feeling okay?"

He perked up to look less suspicious. "Yeah, I'm fine." Shortly, he sighed. "Maybe I'm a little off my game lately."

She took a seat across from him and looked at him expectantly. "All right, what is it?"

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Well, there's this…guy—"

She squealed lowly and clapped like a hyperactive little girl. "Oh, my God! Tell me everything!"

"I haven't even told you who it is yet."

"But the fact you finally got a boyfriend is even better! I've been waiting for this moment—!"

"Okay, this is not a boyfriend scenario! I don't have a boyfriend, and—will you please let me finish? I'm getting sidetracked!"

Her expression deflated and she sighed. "Fine. Proceed."

"So, there's this guy. He's, like, a really nice guy…"

"Uh-huh…" She had a strange smile on her face.

"He helped me out of that jam—you know with Marcel. Since then, I've, kind-of-sort-of, been staying under the same roof as him—"

"Living with him."

"And I'm grateful for his generosity. It's been awesome even though we've known each other for one week."

"A week's enough time to…get familiar, if you know what I mean."

"Okay, stop that!"

She held up her hands in mock surrender.

"This guy's really old-fashioned, and very modest—"

She leaned forward. "Is he hot?"

"Smoking, in ways that isn't naturally possible. So, as I was _saying_—he's been really kind to me and he's been looking out for me for a while and well, um…"

"Do you like him?"

"I mean, yeah. He's really cool and I sort of trust his judgment. He hasn't steered me wrong, as far as I know…"

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"To wrap up the most awkward ramblings of my life, he's a polite, decent, hot guy—whom I appreciate his infinite nobility and his ability to empathize."

"He must be worth it, then."

He nodded slowly. "I hardly know a single thing about him. I mean, other than telling the tragedy that is his family collapsing, but really…nothing really about him."

"If you want my opinion…I think you should tell him how you feel."

He gave her a look. "What do you mean?"

"Liam, from what you're telling me, you seem to have taken a liking to this guy and you want to get to know him, right?"

"Well…yeah…but it's too forward and a little invasive of his privacy. Even the most polite of people want to keep some things in the 'it's complicated' or the 'I really don't want to talk about it' file cabinet."

"If you want to get anywhere—be it friendship or otherwise—you should just come out with it…figuratively speaking…"

He rolled his eyes jovially. "Of course."

"But I'm serious. Put all your cards out on the table. What's the worst that could happen?"

"I don't even want to know. I'm actually _dreading_ the possibility."

…

The sun was beginning to set upon the French Quarter, making the scene look beautiful as he was on his way back to the Mikaelson home.

After his heart-to-heart with Ramona, he had some time to think to himself. Especially about his…attitude toward Elijah.

He knew he had no definite affection toward him, but he couldn't deny the noble Original caught his interest.

True, Elijah was handsome, but his empathy, sincerity and selflessness was what captivated him, and his absence invoked a spiral of emotions, which confused him. Scared him, even.

Where was his head right now? Did he like Elijah?

Definitely. There was no denying that.

He decided until Elijah returned, he would try to find the solution. He really needed to sort his thoughts out.

…

It was in the evening when he returned to his honorary home. It was then he was greeted by Klaus.

Klaus grinned lightly. "Welcome home, mate."

He blinked. "Hi…? Why are you looking like that?"

"Why, I'm glad you asked, because I found this"—he held up an envelope—"on our doorstep addressed to you." He held out the envelope to Liam and the witch accepted it.

He looked at it and saw his name written beautifully in cursive on the face. He frowned and proceeded to opening it.

It was an invitation to a Masquerade Gala that was being held at the Abattoir tonight.

_**Hope to see you there. And don't worry about a mask, I'd like to see all of your wondrous glory.**_

–_**Dimitri**_

_**P.S. I'd really love to see what you look like in a suit. I bet you look just as ravishing as you regularly do**_**.**

Liam pursed his lips and shook his head lightly. "Persistent much?"

"An admirer, I presume?"

"Ironically. One of Marcel's under-drones."

The hybrid smirked. "Well, well. You move on fast. First my brother and now Marcel's guard dogs."

He glared at him. "It's not what you think. Smartass. The dude's trying to woo me after that atrocity a while back."

"Yet, you're fraternizing with the underling of the man who would have been your undoing."

"I'm not _fraternizing_. This doesn't change anything." He sighed with a roll of his eyes. "You know what, why do I even bother?"

Klaus stood off to the side, allowing the witch to enter. "Well, don't let me detain you. You have other things to worry about, like getting prepared for tonight's events."

Liam raised an eyebrow. "Who says I want to go?"

"Oh, come now. I may not know you personally, but I do know you aren't one to stand someone up."

He didn't say anything, just walked further in.

Before he could go further, Klaus called out to him. "If you're searching for a suit, I'm sure Elijah wouldn't mind."

The witch stopped in his tracks and turned to face Klaus. "Are you giving me permission to borrow your brother's clothes? That's invasion of someone's privacy, you know."

"He's not here to object, now is he? It's only for one night; he won't tell the difference."

He stood still and mulled this over. After a moment, he spoke. "I guess this one time won't hurt."

Besides, what's the worst that could happen?


	6. Glorious Night

Tonight was the night of the gala at Marcel's compound and Liam was in Elijah's room standing in front of his closet, deciding which suit to pick out.

Klaus may have given him the okay to borrow Elijah's clothes, but Liam was a little reluctant.

He was never one to just take someone's stuff without their consent. Approval from a sibling didn't count.

He sighed and thought nothing of it and picked the black suit, slacks, and dress shoes. He also picked a white dress shirt and rummaged around for a black tie.

Wow. Elijah had it in for an endless supply of formal attire. It was dumb luck that he found any street wear hidden in the closet.

He took a quick, clean shower, and he even took the time to shave his face, leaving his face completely bare.

After slipping on some clean garments and putting on fresh deodorant, he grabbed the dress shirt he set on the door hanger to hold.

He was about to put it on when he paused, his arms already in. He raised the fabric to his face and inhaled softly. It smelt just like _him_.

He frowned and lowered his arm, settling to having his hands grasp the edge of the sink and lower his head tiredly.

The last thing he wanted was to be reminded of Elijah.

Recently, his mind has been all about the captive Original. Wondering if he was all right wherever he was being hidden. Though Elijah had been through hell, Liam couldn't help but ascertain his predicament.

He raised his head to stare back at his reflection and he could see the pain beneath his own hazel eyes.

All of this excessive worrying wasn't going to bring him back anytime soon. He bit his bottom lip in anticipation, and after a while, he solemnly shook his head, thinking that maybe this whole attending the gala was a bad idea.

He was never much of a party person, but this was a major deal and he didn't want to be any more uncomfortable than he already was.

In an act to distract himself from his anxiety, he turned out the faucet. The sound of the water rushing out spurred him to cup his hands and hold them under it, accumulating a small, makeshift puddle.

He dipped his head and brought his hands up to splash the water onto his face. This resulted in bringing him back to the planes of sanity somewhat, but he was still anxious.

So he did it a few more times until he was satisfied. Looking back up into his reflection, his face was now drenched. He found it oddly relieving.

Feeling he had nothing else to mope over, he reached for a towel to dry his face off. He then—ever so slowly—slipped the dress shirt on. Followed by the slacks and buckling them, and finally, he put on the blazer.

He emerged from his bathroom and sat on the edge of the bed. The shoes were set at the foot of the bed and he slipped his feet inside. He stood in front of the big, gorgeous mirror and checked himself out.

At first, he wasn't sure if Elijah's clothes would fit him, yet here he was, fit to perfection like he was made to. When he felt was done looking at himself, he sat back down on the bed. He hunched over, his elbows on his knees, and he just stared blankly ahead.

Why did he even agree to do this?

He'd rather sit around with Hayley and do absolutely nothing while Klaus enacted his diabolical plans against Marcel.

"Well, aren't you a sight tonight."

Liam jolted, his head turned to the side to find Hayley at the doorway.

He breathed a small sigh and smiled at the wolf girl. "Hey. I didn't see you there."

She took a moment to assess his attire. "You're going to that party…shindig, or whatever this thing is?"

He bit his bottom lip and nodded. "Seems like. Someone kind of invited me to come. In a date-like sort of way."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Now I feel stressed about it. God, I feel sick to my stomach right now."

"If you don't want to go, then don't go. No one's stopping you."

"That's the thing. I don't like to get his hopes up and leave him hanging. That's, like…a big technical foul in the—quote on quote—first date element. No one likes that. I certainly don't like it and I don't like thinking about doing it to other people."

"I guess I see your point…"

"I'd really rather stay here and eat ice cream all day. Speaking of which, is there any left? _Please_ tell me there's some left."

She grinned apologetically and shook her head. "Sorry. Finished it all last night."

He groaned. "I'll settle for getting drunk tonight then."

"Getting wasted to wash your problems away? _Very_ responsible."

He shrugged. "Hey. Something has to work." He looked down at his wristwatch and sighed through his nose. "I should get going." He stood up and smoothed out the creases in the suit.

She stared for a moment. "Is that…?"

"Elijah's suit? Uh…yeah. I didn't have time to scavenger for one, and Klaus gave me an okay. I know, not the best thing to do, but I was kinda pressed for time. I don't personally condone to just do this kind of thing with other people's stuff—"

"Liam. You don't need to explain yourself to me. It was a momentary lapse. It happens to us all."

"…Yeah. Right, right. Okay, then."

"See you later." She then left.

He sighed to himself. "I'm off."

…

Walking. It _had_ to be walking.

H had to be so damn stubborn that he had to refuse a ride with Klaus and Rebekah in favor of walking.

Wrong start on the wrong foot in possibly the wrong direction to the Abattoir. Luckily, it seemed that there were a handful of people going to this gig, so finding the location wasn't all that difficult.

Stepping inside the compound, he was awestruck at the sight. It was extravagantly done. This was what a party was supposed to be like…or so he had been told.

He walked about, taking in the sights. Flashy lights, exquisite music, exotic dancers, and everyone having the time of their lives.

Looking at the people all gussied up, he felt a little out of place in a plan dress suit.

But, he stuck his chin out and kept his pride, while at the same time, marveling all that's around him.

"Well, hello, stranger," said a familiar thick South African accent.

Liam whipped around and came face-to-face with Dimitri, and…he wouldn't admit it verbally, but…Dimitri looked hella hot.

His black hair was neatly combed, his beard was trimmed so it looked as if there was hardly any there, and he filled out his navy blue suit very nicely.

Dimitri smiled lightly at the younger man. "You came." He looked at Liam's attire. "You look dashing."

Liam nodded curtly and appreciatively. "Thank you. You…don't look too bad yourself."

"Well, don't I always?"

He let out a small chuckle. He should be getting used to this soon, as it may be a mundane thing.

"So, how've you been?"

"I've…had better days. The Originals are kind of livid now that I'm living with them. They're certainly no Brady Bunch."

"Ah." He held out a glass of Scotch to him. "Care for a drink?"

"Ironic. I had a talk with one of my housemates about drinking tonight." He accepted the drink anyway. "I guess one glass won't hurt." He took a sip of the liquid and immediately winced. "No wonder I don't drink. Alcohol's disgusting…"

"It's an acquired taste." Dimitri drank his own glass. "Drink it enough times and it won't matter as much."

Liam sighed. "Oh, well. Bottoms up." He braced himself and began to drink the rest. When he was done, he shook his head to make the taste pass. "Yeah. I'm definitely never drinking again after tonight."

Dimitri sniggered, then he cleared his throat. "Take a walk with me?"

He blinked. "Uh…all right?"

…

Dimitri led Liam a little ways away from the compound. When they got there, there was a large open river, the moonlight reflection gloriously from the surface.

Liam gaped at the scene. "Whoa…"

"It's one of my relaxing places—well, at night that is."

"It's beautiful. And you can see this every night?"

"Not every night exactly. Just when the moon hits this surface just right. It's a good place to get away to when I want some time to myself."

"Do your fellow soldiers know about this?"

He rolled his eyes halfheartedly. "Maybe they do. Maybe they don't."

Liam walked forward and sat at the edge cross-legged. He stared ahead, lost in thought. Everything was happening so fast, Liam wasn't for sure what was going on.

Dimitri walked over and knelt beside him, leaving enough space between them. "Is there something on your mind?"

He paused, then turned to look him directly in the eyes. "Why did you invite me here tonight?"

"I like you. Isn't it obvious?"

"I gathered that, but…why? You hardly know me. Hell, we hardly know each other."

"Maybe I have a feeling about you."

Liam's breath got caught in his throat. What? Did he mean…?

Dimitri saw the look on his face and shook his head. "Not in the way you're thinking. Even I know it is way too fast and far too soon to be definite. I'm just saying I just want to get to know you, seeing as our first meeting was anything but pleasant."

"Oh…" He looked forward. On the inside, Liam was feeling sort of relieved. Things were complicated enough. He didn't need to add to the workload if what he assumed turned out to be true.

"Look, about the whole 'competition' thing from a while back. That was just me being stupid and putting up a front."

Liam gave him a strange look. "What do you mean?"

Dimitri gave him a small, genuine smile. "I'm…actually pretty jealous, honestly."

"Jealous? Of Elijah?" Now he was confused.

"He's sexy and a damn powerful Original vampire. It's plain to see he's caught your fancy."

"Look, I like Elijah, but it's on a platonic level. He's been a good—well, gracious guardian to me. That's all it is."

"So…you're not spoken for?" he jested lightly.

"Well, I'm flattered that you've taken a liking to me, but…I'm not looking for anything serious with anyone. Maybe not for a while. And I don't want to lead you into a false sense of security by stringing you along. I don't want that."

He nodded slowly. "I was expecting something like that…and I appreciate your honesty."

"I'm all for being friends, but we should take it slow. One step at a time makes a big difference. Are you okay with that?"

He smiled. "I'd like that."

Liam just grinned lightly. "One good thing that came out of this; you _can_ be pleasurable company, when you're not being such a clown most of the time."

"Hey, I'm not a _total_ clown. I've been serious the first handful of minutes tonight."

Liam rolled his eyes. "Yeah…"

Suddenly, Dimitri's ears perked up and he looked behind him and stood up.

Liam saw the shift in his movements and stood as well. "What?"

He strained his hearing. After a short pause, he shook his head with a small grin on his face. "Nothing too serious. Slow dance music." He looked at Liam. "Do you want to head back?"

"Lead the way."

…

When the two came back to the Abattoir, almost everyone was dancing to the slow music.

"Uh…this is a bit much."

"What's a party without music? Marcel wanted all out, and…this is it."

"A little much. Makes one wonder if he had hidden motives. Of course, that's just one man's opinion."

He snorted. Seeing the majority of the party dancing, he was struck with an idea. He turned to face Liam and offered his hand.

The witch looked at Dimitri's open hand and then at the vampire himself. He suddenly felt self-conscious. "I…don't dance."

"Aww, come on. I won't bite…unless you want me to." He wink.

He stared at him, not very amused.

He smiled charmingly. "Just one dance, and I won't bug you as much for a possible second."

Liam sighed with a roll of his eyes. He slowly reached out and grasped ahold of Dimitri's strong, firm hand. "Fine. _One_ dance. I mean it."

Dimitri squeezed the witch's hand gently and led him further ahead with the rest of the dancing participants.

When they found a good enough space, Dimitri gently placed a hand on Liam's waist.

Liam tensed a little at the close contact but he willed himself to relax. With a deep breath, he brought a hand to rest on Dimitri's shoulder.

Together, they brought their free hands up and clasped them, Liam's inside Dimitri's. Liam gazed into Dimitri's dark irises as they swayed gently to the melodious tune playing in the background.

It was like all else faded and all they focused on were each other. They were silent for quite a while, both men in their own minds.

All Dimitri could think about was how handsome Liam was tonight. Though the witch gently let him down about any further involvement, he was still allowed to admire him, right?

He was sure that Liam had a thing for Elijah, even though Liam wouldn't admit it, but Dimitri could see something was there. But as long as he had Liam's fragment of companionship, that was enough for now.

Liam's mind was all jumbled. Tonight was a big question mark to him. Why was he really here with Dimitri? Not long ago he detested the man for reasons he couldn't really touch upon.

He realized he held a grudge against him because he was a bothersome, conceited ass. But tonight, he saw how serious and flattering he can be.

After an awkwardly long period of silence, Dimitri spoke. "This isn't too weird or anything for you, is it?"

Liam snapped out of his thoughts. He heard what the vampire asked and shook his head to answer. "I just…blanched on you. Sorry."

"It gets like that when the mood is just right."

Liam rolled his eyes. "Very funny…"

"Thank you." Out of nowhere, he lightly dipped Liam, taking the younger man by surprise. "I may have picked up a thing or two over the years."

"Really. I never would have guessed."

They went back to slow, gentle movements.

By the second or third slow waltz, Liam peeked over Dimitri's shoulder.

His eyes widened when he spotted a familiar person near below the balcony. "Cami?"

Dimitri frowned and looked where Liam was leering, then back to him. "Friend of yours?"

"What is she doing here?" Liam asked, concerned for Cami's well-being as this party was mostly populated with supernatural creatures—specifically, vampires. "Scratch that—_why_ is she here?"

"Don't worry. She's safe. Boss forbade us from harming her."

Liam's attention went back to him.

"If it's any consolation, a handful of us don't want to."

"And the remainder?"

Dimitri hesitated.

Liam sighed and detangled himself from the vampire. "Excuse me."

"Liam, wait a second—"

His plea fell on deaf ears and Liam continued to walk over to where his blonde friend was.

"Cami!" Liam called out.

She turned, surprised to see her male friend. "Liam? Hey."

He came forward and stopped in front of her.

"I didn't know you were here."

"I could say the same thing." He eyed her costume and raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What's the occasion?"

"I was here with someone, but…" She looked up the balcony, having the man to look as well.

He gawked at who he saw. "Marcel?"

"You know him?"

"Technically."

She continued to watch Marcel talk to his soldiers with extreme worry and anxiety on her face.

With their attention still glued on the vampire above, Klaus came up to speak to Cami.

"You were right, love."

"He's got a temper, doesn't he?"

Klaus nor Liam didn't answer, which Cami took it as it was self-explanatory.

She sighed disappointedly. "I guess this is the moment I remember I know better." She then slowly walked off somewhere else.

"Cami…"

The blonde woman didn't hear and she kept walking.

He turned to Klaus. "What is going on here, Klaus? Why is Cami here?"

"Not to worry, chap. No harm shall come to her."

"It'd better not." He looked off in Cami's direction and then back to Klaus. "Why her? Out of everyone in the French Quarter, why Cams?"

"Do you not see it? She's beautiful, headstrong, and a perfect distraction for the self-proclaimed 'King of the Quarter'."

The witch's jaw slacked a bit. "Klaus—"

"Relax! Enjoy the evening. It is a party after all. Leave the devil to his work."

He didn't have the sense to even ascertain what Klaus was up to, but he had some ends to tie up, starting with Cami and making sure she was all right.

But first, he had to speak with Dimitri before that. Making his way back to where he came from, he looked around for the vampire.

When he found him at a bar, he went over to meet him. "Dimitri…"

The South African vampire turned his head at the sound of his voice and his eyes found his. He smiled lightly. "Hey. Found out what you were looking for?"

"Sort of… I'm sorry I dipped out on you like that. I was worried about her, and—"

"It's all right. I understand. She's your friend and you were looking out for her." He downed a shot before having another refill.

"But still. I should at least apologize for earlier—"

"Liam, you really don't need to explain. I'm a big boy. I'm not easily breakable."

He deadpanned for a split second. "I just wanted you to know."

Dimitri turned fully toward him. "Y'know, despite tonight's events, I had a good time with you."

Liam looked touched. He blushed slightly and smiled. "I did, too. However weird things were here and there."

"I knew I was growing on you. How does it feel?"

"It's…different…" He lowered his gaze. "We should hang out some time."

"Of course. We're BFFs now," he said joyously. "To friendship!" He took a huge gulp of his drink.

"Don't get too ahead of yourself with the BFF sentiment. I could just as easily revoke my friend invite." Of course, he was being jovial. "I'll see you later. I have to be somewhere."

He raised his glass. "Have a nice night, handsome! Go get your gal."

…

Liam went to Rousseau's, and sure enough, he found Cami at a bar drinking.

He walked over and took a seat next to her. "Hey."

"Hi." Her voice was chocked and small.

He looked at her sympathetically when he saw the discontent and misery in her face. She had expected a good night, but like all things, it was too good to be true.

"Tonight was…pretty crazy."

"Yeah…"

"If it makes you feel any better, my night was anything less than magical," he said, trying to cheer her up.

If he was being honest, he had a kind of good time tonight, despite some less than pleasurable circumstances.

"Not really, but it's a solid step in a somewhat stable direction."

He laid his chin on his folded fingers. "C'mon, Cams, don't do this. This is beneath you."

She just sighed and laid her hand in her palm. "I know. It's just…I have should've known better. Why didn't I see it sooner?"

Even though Liam didn't like Marcel very much, he did seem to be genuinely interested in Cami. He was a bit suspicious about that, but that's another thing, cheering his friend up was the task he needed to focus on.

"It happens, Cami. It's okay to not know everything. Maybe the whole thing was a misunderstanding."

She snorted. "Like I haven't heard _that_ before."

He pursed his lips and then settled for gripping her shoulder for comfort. "It'll be all right. This is just a pit stop, and it's on a time limit. You can't sit here and mope. You're Camille O'Connell, you don't mope; you put your foot down and demand what his problem is."

She chuckled. "You should stop reading those novels."

"They're helpful. You just don't appreciate fine literature." He looked over to see the time and how late it is. "It's late and I should head back…home." It felt weird to say that word. "You're sober enough to be left alone."

"I only had one glass."

"Well, as much of a lightweight as you are, just one glass is enough to get you slumped. Remember that time when you fell out from that one sip of Kahlua? Mona and I rolled around laughing for weeks." He laughed at the memory.

The blonde flushed. "There was something in the drink. Someone slipped me something."

He smirked. "_Suuuuuuuuure. _Whatever you say."

…

Walking through the door, Liam shrugged off his jacket and made his way to his room.

He took off the black blazer and carefully folded it before setting it on his bed, followed by his shoes. He sat down on the mattress and folded his hands and leaned forward, assuming a thinking form.

He closed his eyes, trying to relieve himself of his impending fatigue.

The sound of feet prodding against the floor made him open his eyes and raise his head to find Klaus at his door.

"What is it?"

"I have news, and I'm sure you will be quite pleased with it." He took a short breath. "Elijah will be returning to us soon."

At that, Liam felt a surge of relief and strangely…happiness. Elijah was _finally_ coming home after being gone for almost a week.

Now…Elijah's coming back.

"_Thank God_," he muttered in one, tired breath.

The hybrid bit the inside of his cheek. Why was it that people were _always_ at ease when Elijah was in their presence?

He paused before he spoke to the black-haired witch. "You hardly know him…yet you miss him."

Liam looked up at him from between his fingers. Why did he looked bothered with the fact that Liam was more comfortable with Elijah than him?

As if his question was answered, Klaus continued. "What is it about my brother that always inspires such instant admiration?"

The witch took a moment to think of an answer. "He was kind to me. He took me in—gave me a home when no one else would. Made me feel I belong. And…I trust him enough to not hurt me, like most people in my life…"

Klaus stood in his spot as he stared at his housemate. He had assumed Liam would say something to that effect. He wasn't at all surprised that the witch preferred Elijah's company, as his brother saved his life.

Looking at the man before him, he felt _almost_ guilty for separating his brother from him.

After a while, he spoke. "Good night."

"Yeah. Good night."

He bowed his head lowly and was out the door, closing it behind him.

Liam sat in silence, taking in the information he was given.

After a four days, Elijah was on his way back home.

He wasn't sure how it was possible or when he was returning, and frankly, he didn't care.

Elijah was coming back. That's all that mattered.

He felt butterflies in his stomach and a sense of ease wash over him. He felt a smile tug at his lips, and he allowed it, then he bowed his head against his entwined fingers and closed his eyes, letting all his earlier worries pass away smoothly.


End file.
